The present invention relates to simulations and more particularly to using simulations to demonstrate eCommerce capabilities.
The current telecommunication service providers"" networks reflect the architecture of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) network as it has evolved over the last 100 years. This is largely based on circuit switched technologies. Initially, all telecommunication services were offered via a wired infrastructure. As the user-base increased and requirements changed over the last few decades, new types of services were created e.g. wireless PSTN, cable video, multi-service (PSTN, video, satellite). The networks that supported these services were created as parallel networks, along-side the existing PSTN network. As technologies matured, there was some convergence (e.g. they shared the same SONET backbone) in the network architecture. During the late 1980s, with the explosion of data networking and Internet, data networking networks like frame relay and Asynchornous Transfer Mode (ATM) were developed, and later large internet based data networks were constructed in parallel with the existing PSTN infrastructure. These data networks again shared the PSTN infrastructure only at the SONET backbone layer. This state of current networks is called the existing xe2x80x9cCorexe2x80x9d. Thus the xe2x80x9cCorexe2x80x9d network is a set of parallel networks; PSTN, wireless, satellite, cable, ATM, frame relay, IP. There is some interoperability between the services on these parallel network (e.g. PSTN, and wireless), but generally these networks are vertically integrated to provide distinct set of non-interoperable services.
Exponential growth in demand for Internet access and intranet services is driving the need for a communication infrastructure that can rapidly enable, transport, and guarantee performance for new communications services. This revolution is a result of a dramatic shift of customer preferences from products to services. Whether for financial transactions, home shopping, videoconferencing, phone calls, education or other data intensive applications, business and residential customers look to this xe2x80x9cnew worldxe2x80x9d infrastructurexe2x80x94the Next Generation Networkxe2x80x94as a primary channel for service delivery.
Indeed, research indicates that data traffic will surpass voice by 10:1 within the next three to five years. Opportunities abound for communication service providers that can either reinvent their business models and service delivery capability or create new business ventures and solutions through alliances with high-tech, media and entertainment companies. Customer demands for new, innovative services, coupled with increasing competition and the blinding growth of the Internet and corporate intranets all create pressure to transform today""s telecommunication networks on a global scale.
Communication service providers are favorably positioned to create the infrastructure necessary to support this demand. However, this dramatic convergence of telephony and data-centric technologies calls for radically new strategies to network design and deployment. This xe2x80x9cnew worldxe2x80x9d demands that communications companies transform their core network systems from voice-centric circuit-switched platforms to the packet-switched or New World Network.
While the infrastructure alone is essential to enabling this capability, it is also critical for companies to develop products and services that create incremental and sustainable differentiationxe2x80x94differentiation that is recognizable to customers. Just as important as the creation of the differentiation is the ability to convey such differentiation to customers. There is a pending need to present system capabilities to customers for sales purposes.
A system, method and article of manufacture are provided for demonstrating ecommerce capabilities on a network via a simulation. Data connectivity is provided over a network between a simulated user, a simulated product distributor, a simulated product vendor, and a simulated financial service provider. An electronic catalog is displayed over a network which shows a product for sale by the simulated product vendor. The simulated user is shown browsing the electronic catalog on the network. Further, a consultation over the network, relating to the product for sale shown in the electronic catalog, is depicted between the simulated user and the simulated product distributor. Selection of the product by the simulated user is illustrated. The simulated user is portrayed to authorize payment after an on-line review of an account of the user.
In one embodiment of the present invention, an availability of the simulated product distributor is simulated as being time insensitive. This represents that the simulated product distributor is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The simulated user, simulated product distributor, simulated product vendor, and simulated financial service provider may each be located at a unique site on the network.
Optionally, the simulated user may be depicted reviewing a bill for the product, which would be received by the user in real time. Also optionally, internet protocol services supported on the network include at least one of streaming audio, streaming video, facsimile transmission and receipt, and multi-point internet telephony. Further, the consultation between the simulated user and the simulated product distributor may be shown to be conducted with streaming audio and video.